LoggerNotes

__Notes for June 6th by Micki__

My name is Micki D. Fryhover. The D is for Danelle. Except I don’t like Danelle. I just like D and that’s all. I got picked to be the logger for June 6, 2011. Logger is the grown-up word for note-taker, but logger sounds more funner, I think. My teacher, Mrs. (she has another name—Meg, I think, but I like Mrs. and that’s all). Mrs. says my logger job means I have to keep track of what we do today and what people say. That is a big job, I think. I hope I don’t mess up. We started with my friend Adrienne who readed us the schedule for today and talked to us about some other stuff, too. She ‘membered at the last minute to tell us about the reading group books. She did a good job. I like that Adrienne girl. She has pretty blond hair. While Adrienne was talking, Mrs. was getting set up to do her TRIP. Now don’t get yourself all confused; Mrs. wasn’t going anywhere. TRIP is the short way of saying Teacher Research Inquiry Project. Just before Mrs. was ready to begin, Michele busts in and said, “I’m in the building!” I think she was proud of herself on account she found the building. She found an empty seat next to her bff Monica. I like that Michele. She’s funny. Mrs. finally started her TRIP, and was talking about words and bricks and conventions and mortar. Then that Dawn said her mom went to a convention and mrs. had to ‘splain to us that convention is one of those words that can mean more than one thing. Those kinds of words confuse me sometimes. We talked about something called properties, which turned out to be another word for our five senses. Mrs. likes to use big words, I think. We got to learn a new song about properties that Mrs. taught us, and we got to use our grandpa voices and mean voices and happy voices too! Mrs. said this will help us ‘member it better. I bet she’s right about that. She went to school for a long time, so she’s real smart and knows about this kind of thing. I almost forgot the best part of the song. We got to stick our tongues out at the end. That was my favorite! After we sang our fun new song, Mrs. gave us each an ice cube and she told us she washed her hands before she touched the ice cubes. That’s good, ‘cause I don’t want a yucky, blucky, dirty ice cube! That would be gross! After everyone breathed a sigh of relief, Mrs. told us to observe our ice cubes. Observe just means to look at it real good, I think. She told us to put it right up to our eyes! I must have observed my ice cube real good, ‘cause I saw a heart in mine, and it had love coming out of it! I even wrote a sentence and drew a picture of my heart. After that, I got to be part of a real live sentence! That was so much fun! Mrs. talked about rubrics and we practiced scoring some sentences. She told us to be nice when we scored, ‘cause she doesn’t want us to say anything that will wrinkle anybody’s heart. That heart thing is what this guy named Jim Faye says in his //Love and Logic// book. Mrs. said to look at loveandlogic.com for more information. Mrs. wrapped up her TRIP by talking about how important it is to hit the bull’s eye and stay on target. After the bull’s eye thing, we got to give Mrs. some feedback about how wonderful her TRIP was. When we were finished giving Mrs. her feedback, it was Patrick’s turn to do his writing prompt. He told us to write down the following things: 2 characters, setting (in case you forgot, a setting is the time and place a story happens. Patrick says middle schoolers always forget that), and genre. I don’t know what genre means, but Patrick says it’s the type of story. He said comedy is a genre and so is parody, whatever that is. The funnest part came next when Patrick told us to tear up our paper into three pieces: character, setting, and genre. We put our pieces of paper in a red tin can, and Patrick shook up those pieces of paper real good, only guess what? Adrienne got her character paper and her setting papers back. That was an epic fail, I think. I drawed the character and setting papers from the same person, so I thought I was cool like that Adrienne. My setting came from Mrs., I think, ‘cause the paper it was written on looked like ‘cycled paper. Mrs. tries real hard to be green by doing things like using ‘cycled paper. Being green means you try real hard not to make the Earth’s heart wrinkle. I try to be green too, but I don’t always do a very good job. Speaking of my job, I was going to do my writing for Patrick’s writing prompt too, only guess what? I kinda forgot to on account I was too busy writing down all these really ‘portant logger notes. I hope Mrs. and Patrick don’t get mad at me. Patrick is my friend and I don’t want him to be mad at me. Just so you know, Patrick is the guy in here. His name plate says so. Patrick asked us if we were ready to share our stories, but I didn’t raise my hand on account I didn’t write anything down. I felt a little bit bad about that, but only a little, ‘cause writing logger notes is a ‘portant job. Adrienne read her story about about a guy named Burner and some other guy named the Voice. Burner is a weird name for a person, I think. Monica read her story about Alex and Steven and the Weather Channel. That was my favorite ‘cause Alex and Steven were the characters I choosed! That Monica gave it a twist at the end. Alex was an alien. I never knowed that about Alex! Just when you think you know a person. Oh well. After we were done sharing, Nancy was supposed to do her author’s chair thingy, only guess what? We went to lunch instead! Mrs. and that Nancy told us to be back by 1:00 and Nancy would get to read then. I was excited to hear Nancy read, but my tummy was really getting grouchy ‘cause it was hungry. We ate lunch and Nancy thought my nachos smelled good. They tasted good too! After lunch, Nancy read from her book //Moon Over Manifest// by Clare Vanderpool. That Clare Vanderpool lives here in Wichita! I wish I was a famous author too. I will be someday, just you wait and see! When Nancy finished reading her book, it was my turn to read. I got to read my “This I Believe” essay, which was pretty good, if I do say so myself. That’s probably bragging a little, but I think it’s okay to do that sometimes. We had some thinking and writing time, but no one wanted to share what they wrote. That was kind of weird, but okay just the same, ‘cause it was already 2:00 and time for the next activity. We choosed a reading book, and that Nancy said the people who were reading the same book would be in the same group. That Nancy is really smart! After that, we split up into two committees: social and technology. I’m in the technology group! Patrick showed us a bunch of mumbo jumbo techie stuff while the social people were planning our social stuff. We came back together after a while and talked some techie talk and social talk, but those girls on the social committee wouldn’t tell us where we’ll be going for our writing lunches. It better be good, that’s all I’m saying. We talked about the TRIP, and Monica did a fabulous job reading the paper about the TRIP out loud to the rest of us. That Monica likes to read! We spent the rest of the time talking about TRIPs and stayed all the way until 4:00! I’m so tired. I’m going home now, Mrs., if that’s okay.

__Notes for June 7th by Nancy__

Ze Cooking School

On the second day of cooking school, students chatted together, waiting for the day’s new recipes and demonstrations. Well, 9am rolled around, and our head chef for the day, Micki, hadn’t yet appeared at school! How would we learn to cook? What would we do? Fortunately for us, chef Adrienne came to the rescue with nice snacks to tide us over. Giving us tasty bite-sized portions, she led a discussion over important aspects of writing. Next we sampled the flavor of a position paper. It was chock full of our views on teaching writing and what was important to us. Adrienne gave us a slice from her position paper from last year. This snack was very tasty. I can‘t tell you all the ingredients, but the “solid flotation device while diving into the writing of middle school, high school, and beyond” was extremely mouth-watering.

While we all enjoyed our appetizer chef Micki came flying in the door, telling us she was late because she’d forgotten something. Yeah, right! Anyway, she came well prepared to provide all of us with some great lessons. While we finished the last crumbs of our appetizer, she laid out all the necessary utensils to teach revising. First, the computer turned on, then logging on to glogster. Once she had everything set, we were ready to cook!

Her appetizers included yummy tidbits from glogster and quotes from writing gurus, including Donald Murray: “writing is rewriting and most writers see this task as part of the territory.”

Some of chef Micki’s other revision appetizers must taste pretty nasty because she said her students often look like she’d thrown acid on them when she even mentioned revision. After that, I wasn’t so sure I wanted to eat any more of Micki’s cooking! But then she let us know this wasn’t any ordinary cooking class. We learned that WE would be cooking some of the food!

Before we could even decide if we wanted this kind of class, chef Micki started talking about the main course. Peer review, she told us, is not the same as editing. It is asking questions for feedback, making suggestions, giving feedback, telling what is working, and making gentle suggestions.

Now that we had the overall view of this main dish, we started dumping in our ingredients. First, we dumped in four ideas on superstitions: definition, examples, visual representation, and questions. Chef Micki chided Meg for dumping hers in too slowly--“Hurry up,“ she said, which I thought rather amusing coming from the lady who had arrived late. This recipe called for lots of nuts, and we could choose which kind to add. Here are the strange nuts some put in their recipe: Step on a crack, you break your mother’s back--Monica. Adrienne provided, a penny heads up=bad luck. Meg offered, a broken mirror=7 years bad luck. Others contributed cross your fingers for good luck, and spill salt, throw it over your left shoulder. The devil’s on your left shoulder, so throw salt over it to get salt in the devil’s eye was from Michele and Monica. And another from Monica included, don’t stare at a blue moon. Leave it to the only male in the class to add this ingredient: Picture taking--take a picture with three people, and the one in the middle will die first.

Next, we each added a generous portion from the package of “Nightmare on Elm Street.” Several wanted to dump in the whole package, but Micki said we didn’t have time for the rest of it. Although participants had an opportunity to create something unique, chef Micki gave some guidelines: Give stage directions in enough detail that people could build your set, and we could use the voice of the narrator if we wished. Chef Micki gave everyone 25 minutes to vigorously stir those ingredients, even adding a few of our own. Adrienne created an apt description of our finished dishes: “an unsubstantiated idea that some action will bring specific consequences.”

Before submitting our final creations, chef Micki showed us a video of Laurie Halse Anderson discussing revisions. After that everyone had an opportunity to share with a shoulder partner and make some last minute changes to the creation.

Once all had finished their recipes, chef Micki shared her “Flipbook,” a creative way to store and display information. She commented on not always having enough “flipping time” to create a flip book.

After so much hard work, chef Micki took a break and turned the program over to chef Adrienne. Presentation is important to chef Adrienne, so she distributed magazine photos to whet everyone’s appetites. Starting from the photos, all wrote ideas for their presentations. Michelle, Nancy, and Monica shared their ideas. I wonder about Monica’s future as a chef: a presentation with her mother beaten with a bat? Really, how appetizing is that?

After her short rest, chef Micki shared some thoughts from master chef Neal Shusterman who had many creative, unique ideas and out-of-this-world recipes in his book //Everfound//.

Lunchtime arrived quickly, giving all an opportunity to grab something good to eat and to pick on our only male participant.

After lunch Patrick shared his schedule for lunchtime technology training.

Once we had the schedule, everyone had an opportunity to work on improving their creations.

Once work time ended, dessert was served. All broke into small reading groups to savor nuggets of wisdom from many fine master chefs.

After dessert everyone had an opportunity to visit with any of the five chefs for assistance. All left inspired to create and share their own masterpieces of culinary delights.

Wishing you many delicious writing recipes. Bon Apetite!

__Notes for June 8th by Patrick__


 * Transcript for //PK in the Morning// Thursday, June 9th 2011**

[Intro Music]

Welcome back to //PK in the Morning//. We just past the top of hour here on 201.1 The Shocker. Lot to get through today, of course I’ll be taking your calls all morning long. Looks like the phones are already firing, calling Number 1, what do you got?
 * PK:**

Hey PK, this is (insert your name). I was just wondering; what’s your take on the Meg Rice situation?
 * Caller Number 1:**

Alright (name) thanks for your call. As most of you are aware, Meg Rice, this year’s Team Leader, was about ten minutes late yesterday. Now the media has gotten wind of this story and blown it completely out of proportion. Some constituents are calling for Meg to resign due to her tardiness, but I would like state here and now that if Meg Rice is not a part of SCKWP, I won’t be either.
 * PK:**

Moving on.

Nancy Sturm read back the notes from Tuesday, giving us a fresh take on Logger Notes by putting us through Cooking School. Then it was time for Adrienne Stenholm to take over and give her TRIP Presentation. [Song Cue] The focus of her TRIP was transitions, and she used Billy Joel as a jumping off point showing how verses are like paragraphs and the chorus like transitions. Looks like we got a caller on the line, you’re up Number 2.

PK, (insert your name) here. What did you think of Adrienne’s first class activity?
 * Caller Number 2:**

Oh, I thought it was great. It got everyone involved, was fun to participate in and listen to the end results as well. For those of you who weren’t there, Adrienne had everyone write a short paragraph, just 3 or 4 sentences, cover all but the last sentence and then pass it on to the next person. We ended up with a story with 3 different authors and some of them, like Meg’s, Brett’s, and Micki’s ended up being really cohesive.
 * PK:**

Of course from there, we looked at some paragraphs that needed some transitions added and a little reorganization as well. Nancy and Meg both shared what they did there, which was solid work as always.

Then we hit the main course, a full-length story written in groups of three. The group got to chose the Protagonist, Antagonist, Setting, Inciting Incident, and Climax before splitting up the Plot Line. Then each group wrote their story and came back together to connect the three pieces. Fantastic writing activity. Back to the phones, Caller Number 3.

PK, do you think there’s any truth to the rumor that WuShock will get his own movie?
 * Caller Number 3:**

Ya know, I don’t really know about that. Rachel, Nancy, and I told the tale of superhero WuShock and his nemesis, Heat Wave. Rumors are going around that Miramax wants the rights to WuShock, but there’s very little evidence that anything would be done with it. Aside from that, Rachel has also been quoted as saying she believes that a movie would rob the story of its integrity. Nancy has yet to comment. Caller Number 4.
 * PK:**

Hey PK, I’m a big fan. Is there any truth behind the Fred Foley story?
 * Caller Number 4:**

That’s an interesting question. Monica, one of the authors along with Michele and Meg, has stated that the work is complete fiction, but Michele has indicated that there may be some inspiration from the story in real life. 201.1 is sending out some reporters to see what they can uncover and, just to be safe, 201.1 has started the Fred Foley Foundation to lend support. Caller Number 5.
 * PK:**

Hey, it’s (insert your name). Is this Zoo story too good to be true?
 * Caller Number 5:**

It certainly seems that way, doesn’t it? We had three people covering this story, Micki, Brett, and Dawn. Though the story seems to be fiction, Brett assures us that these events did transpire, and with Dawn confirming the allegations, we can only assume it’s the truth. If you’re unaware, apparently a bear did some networking with the other animals at the zoo to reclaim her cubs. Zoo officials threatened to move the bear, but PETA is prepared to step in. Another Caller, Number 6 take it away.
 * PK:**

PK, just wondering if you had an opinion on Nancy’s writing prompt and the fact that only two people shared what they wrote.
 * Caller Number 6:**

It was a good prompt. People wrote quite a bit before lunch. I know there wasn’t much of a sharing response, but you mark my words, we will see quite a few of those pieces in the Anthology at the end of the year, that’s how good the prompt was. Caller Number 7, you’re on the air.
 * PK:**

It was a big day for you yesterday, PK. How did your first Tech Lunch go?
 * Caller Number 7:**

Thank you so much for that. It went really well. We had good attendance, of course I covered Glogster, the handout for which can be found on our website sckwp.wikispaces.com just go to Summer 2011 and look for the Tech Lunch Handouts link.
 * PK:**

Now, after the writing prompt was finished, Meg read poetry from Jimmy Carter, the audio is again up on our website in the ReadersChair link along with all the other ReadersChairs we’ve had this year. ReadersChair as always is brought to you by The Coalition for Reading Real Books who reminds you if you can’t turn the page, you’ve wasted your wage.

We also got some new offers yesterday the first comes to us from the KWP Coalition about a ELL/CLD Conference in Kansas City June 24th and 25th, and only I ticket remains for the SCKWP trip to Flint Hills for the symphony this Saturday, act fast if you’re interested.

We got time for a couple more Callers. Number 8, you’re on the air.

Just wanted to know, PK, how did everyone respond to the Literacy Reflection assignment?
 * Caller Number 8:**

Pretty well, I know I didn’t really like writing the Literacy Piece, but it is an important piece. Nancy did a job of explaining it, and how you’re supposed to use it to reflect on how you became a literate being. I think we’ll get some good results out of it. Last one, Number 9.
 * PK:**

Yesterday was the first meeting of the writing groups, PK. Did it go like you expected?
 * Caller Number 9:**

Well, the thing ya gotta remember about writing groups is that it is difficult to open yourself to criticism for the first time. There’s always a bit of reluctance and a bit of hesitance. Plus, this early in the game, no one feels like their writing is good enough to showcase. But once you get into it, it becomes a really valuable experience. You see what else is out there and get some really good ideas for your own work.
 * PK:**

Just a reminder you can catch all of //PK in the Morning// by downloading the podcast on iTunes or catching a reply on the internet at 201.1’s website. We’re gonna take a short break here, we’ll be back with more.

**__ Notes for June 9th by Meg __**
[] Password: glogster4rice

__Notes for June 13 by Michelle__

“Monkey Business”

It was a Monday When the group convened It was a funday Or so it seemed

Miss Meg looked to log But it would not be so She seemed to be in a fog There were no notes – will someone else please go?

The talk began with the symphony The Flint Hills were all aglow The leadership team spoke so lovingly And were oh so sad to go

Micki stepped up with a one-pager And made us work a bit We read a story that was a real engager About a jungle that caused quite a fit

Pat, Monica, Meg, Brett, and Nancy All were anxious to read Then Rachel stepped up and got fancy And clearly took the lead

Here is your prompt said Monica with delight Write about some words to live by Micki, Michele, and Adrienne did recite But it was Meg who made everyone cry

Rachel then sat in the chair and read Her honeyed voice was so pleasing But Michele had wondered what Arthur had said Because it seemed Arthur and his lady were teasing

We talked of books that made us cry The Giving Tree, The Kissing Hand, and The Notebook We continued by and by And the stories reminded us to take a second look

Then he got up to show Songs, haircuts, and Survey Monkey Pat had the group in the know But some felt the presentation was a bit too funky

Off to Tanya’s we went For a lovely chat and lunch And finally when we all felt we had been spent We went on our way, this happy bunch

__Notes for June 14 by Dawn__


 * Logger Tales **

Once upon a time in the land of Wu There lived five fellows and five word wizards too.

Each day they met to frolic and write Their hearts overflowing with magic and light.

Day seven began with a laughable prose Michelle had labored all night to compose.

A little “Monkey Business” she sought to reveal A “funky” enchantment she did not conceal.

Then Rachel arose with her wisdom to share Amazing us all with her technical flare.

Suddenly one and all were removed To our childhood we magically proved.

Kindergarten was not so simple it seemed Though Rachel unflustered readily beamed.

Wiggle, squiggle, a bear hunt ensued Mistress Rachel her charges quickly subdued.

Refocused again for the task was at hand Story elements we strove to gladly command.

Character, setting, conflict to resolve Super Heroes we each chose to involve.

Outhouses, Brett challenged us to regard What has value and worth, to express just how far.

Are you willing to go how much to endure For that which you love you must be quite sure.

Rachel schooled us in the art of protecting your phone So that it doesn’t end up in that porcelain throne.

Sir Pat, our lone, brave knight Wove a harrowing tale of his aromatic plight.

Sir Pat espoused due diligence for all to hail To retrieve the precious locket he would not fail.

His fiancé’s distress he sought to allay Down the odiferous hole he did sway.

Victorious he arose, malodorous to be sure Outhouses have such a breathtaking allure.

From __Miss Daisy is Crazy__ Dawn did share Humor and insight from the Reader’s Chair.

The remaining hours were spent Researching, conferring our minds to ferment.

Let it be known throughout the land of Wu There once lived five fellows, five word wizards too.

Each day they met to frolic and write They put pen to paper their hearts did delight.

Each day forever filled with elation and laughter As they lived and they wrote happily ever after.

//D. Pickens// June 14, 2011

__Notes for June 15th by Monica__ (To the tune of Gilligan’s Island) (Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip that started on this tropic voyage aboard this tiny ship) Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of the Land of WU, as read by MeirCat to all of us the members of the writing crew. (The mate was a mighty sailor man the skipper brave and sure 5 passengers that sailed that day on a three hour tour) The mate was the mighty dawawg our TRIP leader brave and sure, 9 passengers who wrote that day on 90 minute tour (echo a 90 minute tour). (The weather started getting rough the tiny ship was lost, if not for the spirit of the fearless crew the Minnow would be lost) The teasing started getting rough beaver feared coyote’s feelings were tossed, if not for the spirit of the fearless dog the writing would be lost (echo the writing would be lost). (The ship aground on the shore of this uncharted desert isle with) The haikus abound with Merrah cat and Monkey read of //woods// to: (Gilligan, the skipper too, the millionaire and his wife, the movie star, the professor and Mary Ann here on Gilligan’s Isle) The tiger, the coyote too, the Acadian goose and the dog, the chamel---eon, the butterfly, beaver, and house cat here at writing project!

Logger Notes: SCKWP Rodeo

By Rachel Holter

Announcer: The crowd is pouring in at the Intrust Bank Arena tonight as we get ready to see Day 11 of the annual SCKWP Rodeo. While we’re waiting for things to kick off, let’s watch a short clip of some highlights from last week’s semi-final rounds.

// On the big screen a short film ensues of a woman, Adrienne Stenholm, being interrogated by an agent who threatens her with dolls and clowns to get her to break. Of course she does, and reveals the deep dark secrets of Day 9 of our rodeo competition. //

Announcer: And now it’s time to take a look at our first competitor, a Ms. Dawn Pickens.

Rodeo Clown: Wait, wait, wait. You messed up and said Ms.

Announcer: Well, that was no mistake. I don’t make mistakes. We do have a female competitor today.

Rodeo Clown: Well paint my face and shine my shoes, whoda thunk it?

A: May I continue talking about Ms. Pickens now?

RC: Ya, ya, ya. Continue.

A: As I was saying, we’re gonna take a close look at Ms. Pickens’ early rounds in this competition. Dawn started out Day 1 riding the bulls Let’s Write and I’m Done. Those are some pretty tough bulls to get on the first draw. Let’s see how she did. She started out riding I’m Done, who tried valiantly to buck and spin that rider off. Ms. Pickens administered an effective Kagan strategy, the “Inside/Outside” technique, and managed to stay on. Her free hand //almost// touched the bull when he started fading, spinning and spinning toward the chutes. But Ms. Pickens had some brass tacks, cause she hung on the full eight seconds. Now one neat thing Ms. Pickens does after every ride is write in a journal about the bulls she met and what they taught her.

RC: Hey! Don’t go overwhelming our audience now.

A: Well, they want the facts, don’t they?

RC: Well, ya. But let’s take a break for a little friendly competition.

A: Alrighty, whatcha got in mind?

RC: I want to pull in some spectators to see how well they can answer some questions for us.

A: What kind of questions are you planning on asking?

RC: I want to know their position on writing. What is writing? Who are writers? Why do we write? And what do writers look like when they write?

// Select members of the audience come down to the ring to answer these deep questions. Ms. Pickens is asked to help judge, and record the answers so the audience can see. Michele Guiole, another competitor, is overheard mumbling to her teammate. //

Michele Guiol: I’m glad Dawn’s a bad speller too.

RC: That’s not very sportsman like if you ask me!

A: Don’t get your panties in a twist. Michele’s just pointing out that it’s nice to see she’s not the only one who has difficulties spelling things correctly. Anyway, moving on to Day 2. Ms. Pickens drew the bulls Read to Self and Work on Writing. These bulls are not quite as challenging as I’m Done because you can see the steps they go through. Let’s take a look: The first thing Read to Self does is make you pick a book, and then builds things up to form independent readers. I also need to point out that Work on Writing is definitely going to work your stamina muscles and make you apply it to writing. The rider needs to have been taught very specifically what procedures are right and wrong before even attempting to ride this bull. Now, last year when Patrick Kennedy rode him, he had been drinking heavily (we think it was water, but suspicions have arisen that suggest otherwise), throwing things, and moving around all over the place. He got schooled, and did not receive a high score on either of these bulls.

RC: That’ll teach ya not to drink and write!

A: You sure got that right. Ms. Pickens musta paid attention in class, and hit the gym to build up her stamina muscles, as she made riding Read to Self and Work on Writing look like a trail ride through the woods. Day 3 proved to be even more exciting with the introduction of Heart, a bull who has quite lived up to the name. Ms. Pickens rode this bull, and was forced to look into her own heart and face what is important to her.

RC: (sniffles) Just watching that ride made me look into my own heart for what’s important.

A: Did it consist of make-up, flowers, and gaudy clothing?

RC: You know me so well.

A: I’m starting to. Day 4 gave Ms. Pickens the bull Clifford. Now don’t be thinking this bull is a babysitter, cause you’d be dead wrong. The trick to him is figuring out the patterns; each and every time he’s been ridden he executed the same pattern. Ms. Pickens certainly did her homework, as she rode him through his well-executed Writing Plan, and into creating her own Memoir of her summer vacation.

RC: It was b-e-a-utiful!

A: No disagreement here. She did a stellar performance of eight pages that just took our breath away and brought her here to the semi-finals.

RC: So when we gonna see her ride?

A: As a matter of fact, they’re loading her bull into the chute right now. Many Colored Days is his name, sired by Dr. Seuss and prepared by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. It looks like Ms. Pickens is getting her helmet and Kevlar vest on, now she’s settling onto the bull, making sure her rope has plenty of rosin, and wrapping the rope securely with a Suicide Wrap. She gives the nod, and the gate swings open. Many Colored Days comes charging out of the shoot, and with a well-placed leap causes Ms. Pickens to see daylight, plenty of open space between her backside and the bull’s hide. Somehow Ms. Pickens manages to stay atop the bull just in time for him to sunfish, twisting his body in the shape of a crescent. Just as Many Colored Days is getting into a Well, the center of a spin that is very challenging for riders to maintain balance with, the eight second buzzer goes off and Ms. Pickens goes flying through the air. As she hits the dirt, our brave rodeo clowns distract the bull just long enough for Ms. Pickens to high-tail it to the chute and climb out of harm’s way.

// The crowd is cheering uproariously, and Many Colored Days makes his way back to the pens. Dawn Pickens heads back into the arena to retrieve her hat and bask in the glow of the cheers booming from the grandstands. The judges break into three groups to tabulate the scores, and Dawn Pickens walks away with a record score of 99! //

RC: Whooooo-eeeeeeeee! What a ride! After all that excitement, I think we need to calm things down a little.

A: What do you have in mind?

RC: Well I happen to know a competitor who just finished reading a true story.

A: A true story? Alright, alright, I’ll bite. Bring her on out.

// Michele Guiol saunters to the center of the ring, and pulls out __The Glass Castle__ from the back pocket of her Wranglers. Her heartfelt reading of Jeannette’s memoir brought a tear to several eyes, and even the competitors were forced to take a moment to compose themselves. //

RC: That reminds me of a friend of mine.

A: A friend? Of yours? Wait, you have friends?

RC: I most certainly do. I bet I even have more friends than you.

A: Doubtful, but go on. What about this friend of yours?

RC: Well, I got a friend who wrote a book. She wrote a mighty touching book too.

A: Alrighty, let’s hear it then.

// Monica Swift begins reading a touching children’s story written by judge Meg Rice, but finds herself overcome with emotion towards the end and unable to finish the story due to the sobs racking her body. Michele Guiol, being the great supporter that she is, picks up where Ms. Swift left off, and finished the story to the delight of all. //

A: (wipes quickly at a tear slowly trickling down his cheek) That was beautiful Ms. Rice; thank you so much for sharing Elija Michael’s story with us. It is sure to become a classic. (clears throat) Let’s get back to the semi-finals. As you all know, it takes years to make your mark in the rodeo world, just like it is in the publishing world. Remember to just keep trying, and never give up, no matter how many times you might be rejected. Somewhere out there is a company that wants to sponsor you. Now we’re going to take a quick break to get the next trailer of bulls unloaded and ready for our finalists.

// Competitors, judges, rodeo clowns and spectators all grab a quick bite to eat, and rush back to their positions for the remainder of the competition. //

RC: Whoo-eee! I feel about as stuffed as a turkey at Thanksgiving. What’s up next?

A: Ah, thank you for sharing. Next up we have competitor Michele Guiol. She drew the bull Writing Prompt, so let’s see what they have in store for us.

// Michele and Writing Prompt burst from the chutes, nostrils flaring and heels flying through the air. But somehow another gate opens and several bulls break loose into the arena. Someone stole Chicken on a Chain’s blanky and he charges the rail in an attempt to retrieve it; Delilah Bogart is feared for his unfeeling ways toward infants; beware of Sheridan Slinkman and his quest for vengeance after losing his beloved Sound of Music memorabilia; give particular caution to Thomas Allan Richardson, the well-groomed neon green bull from Albuquerque; and last but not least we have Mary Elizabeth Mumford, whom competitors have been speculating is a soul-stealing homophobic bull. //

// They are building the plot by forming interesting characters, for with the characters comes plot. The audience shouts out their input on how to ride out Writing Prompt, until the characters are unusual and one-of-a-kind. The buzzer sounds the end of the eight second ride, but Michele refuses to let go. She continues to ride Writing Prompt, eliminating eight things she dislikes from her character and coming up with a short story. The head judge, Meg Rice, finally calls a halt to Michele’s ride, and she gracefully dismounts from the still bucking bull. //

A: Yee-haw! What a ride for Michele Guiol! Have you ever //seen// anything like that? She just wouldn’t give up. What a ride!

RC: Aw, shucks, any ole cowboy coulda done that.

A: I don’t want to hear it. The day you show me you can ride a bull for eight seconds is the day I will sit and listen to you heckle the accomplishments of these wonderful competitors.

RC: Can I just say something?

A: No.

RC: Patrick Kennedy likes Harry Potter!

Nancy: What a sissy.

A: Now that isn’t very nice.

Patrick Kennedy: No it’s not.

RC: But it’s true! He’s SO excited for the new HP coming out. I wouldn’t be surprised if he went to the premier wearing some crazy wizards costume and carrying a wand.

A: That’s enough, now. Here he comes to tell us all about the anthology. Don’t you go embarrassing him, you hear?

// The rodeo clown mumbles something unintelligible and shuffles to the end of the arena. //

Patrick Kennedy: Howdy yall, just wanted to share with you some of the rules and guidelines for our competition. You can only post absolutely polished pieces in the anthology section, and there needs to be three or four total. Another thing the judges will be looking for is some unpolished pieces to be placed at the end. All of this has to be turned in by July 15 in order to be entered in the running, as well as a dedication page thanking whoever assisted you in getting to this point in your career. Remember, the theme of our anthology is laughter so prepare accordingly.

A: Thank you, Mr. Kennedy. Before we conclude our evening, I want to remind you about some things you can expect at our finals Wednesday. For our closing ceremony competitors will have invited mentors and coaches to witness all they have learned over the process of this rodeo, and we will be showing a brief clip of each competitor’s highlights. Don’t forget, even though this rodeo is over Wednesday, you can still get training and suggestions from the E-Anthology until August. Thank yall for coming tonight, and make sure you come back for the finals Wednesday.

by Brett Lynn Spencer ;)